246: Chapter 247 The Undead Army

By now, Jialiya had developed a feeling of near-reverent admiration for Lin Muyang and the group of the young ladies by his side, who appeared young and beautiful but were, in reality, unfathomably powerful.

Her past experiences had shaped her into a cautious, suspicious, and even somewhat pessimistic person, but everything she had seen and experienced with her own eyes and body crushed her inherent cognitive barriers like a hammer.

She had never imagined that she—a Necromancer who was regarded as a harbinger of misfortune in her homeland, hunted by countless "righteous people," and forced to live only with death and loneliness—would have such a lucky day: being summoned by a powerful entity from another world, brought to a completely different world that seemed to have no prejudice against her, and gaining such an incredible opportunity for rapid growth.

It turned out that beyond her world, there really were countless other worlds.

Her own world, filled with hostility and danger, already contained countless living beings.

How many young ladies like her—some ordinary, some special, some struggling to survive—must there be in the myriad worlds?

In this nearly infinite base, that she could be chosen by Lin Muyang and summoned across endless space-time...

"This is absolutely the most incredible and luckiest thing that has ever happened to me in my life." This thought sprouted quietly in the lake of her frozen heart like a budding sprout breaking through the soil.

"That was amazing." Jialiya finally broke her silence.

She stepped forward to stand before Lin Muyang, placed her hands over her lower abdomen in a slightly ancient gesture of the highest respect from her original world, and bowed deeply and reverently toward Lin Muyang.

Her voice still carried that ethereal quality, but it was now laced with a sincerity of submission and gratitude.

Her ice-blue eyes were lowered, and her long eyelashes cast faint shadows on her fair cheeks.

Lin Muyang looked at her solemn appearance and waved his hand with a chuckle: "Alright, no need to be so formal. We are all family now. Your level isn't high enough yet, so focus on leveling up first."

Just then, Elabess returned after finishing her tasks.

She wiggled her water-snake waist and leaned in close to Lin Muyang with a fragrant breeze: "Master~ It's all arranged. That little girl from the Ice Bird Country seems quite honest. What shall we do next? Continue leveling up the new little sister?"

"Hmm, I happen to have some secret realm scrolls left." Lin Muyang nodded.

The secret realm resources he had collected through various channels were quite substantial, but he still had some epic-grade and legendary-grade secret realm scrolls between levels 80 and 100 on hand, which were just right for helping Jialiya level up quickly, and he could also improve himself a bit in the process.

Thus, for the next three hours, lights flickered one after another in the secret realm plaza in the northwest corner of the Eternal Garden.

Lin Muyang, along with the core the young ladies and the newly joined Jialiya, acted like a high-efficiency dungeon-grinding machine, opening several high-level secret realms in succession.

Under the coverage of Lin Muyang's bug-like God-Tier Aura, the battles were devoid of suspense, and the efficiency was shockingly high.

Jialiya only needed to follow quietly behind the team, not even needing to cast a single spell, to feel the tsunami-like experience points pouring wildly into her body.

Three hours later.

When the energy of the last secret realm scroll was exhausted and the spatial vortex slowly dissipated above the plaza, Lin Muyang glanced at his attribute panel.

His level had soared from 93 to 97! He was only one step away from the 100-level mark.

If this leveling speed were to get out, it would be enough to leave all Class Transferees around the world dumbfounded.

The levels of the the young ladies under his command also rose with the tide.

The the young ladies summoned earlier were in sync with him, reaching level 97; their attributes became increasingly terrifying, and their mastery of their own power became more refined.

The sisters Mo Mingxue and Mo Yingmei, who were summoned later, although they started a bit later, saw their levels skyrocket like a rocket during this high-intensity dungeon run, both breaking through the 80-level mark to reach level 83!

The sisters could clearly feel the surging power within their bodies and their deeper talents being constantly activated in their bloodlines, and their combat techniques were also rapidly improving through practical observation.

As for the newly joined Necromancer, Jialiya, she was undoubtedly the one who gained the most from this leveling feast.

Thanks to the high experience bonus brought by the huge level gap with Lin Muyang, her level erupted like a volcano, surging from level 57 all the way to 77! She was only a stone's throw away from level 80.

The level 77 Jialiya was already a different person from the level 1 girl who was suppressed, skill-sealed, and full of anxiety when she was first summoned.

Her whole body naturally radiated an Aura that was cold, silent, yet carried an undeniable majesty.

Her ice-blue short hair seemed glossier, and while her skin remained fair, it lost that sickly transparency and gained a bit of luster.

Most importantly, her eyes—those ice-blue eyes—were now as deep as cold pools, calm, sharp, and occasionally flashed with a ghostly light belonging to a Necromancer that could discern soul fluctuations.

As her level soared to 77, many of Jialiya's core skills as a Necromancer were unlocked like hidden treasures, appearing one by one.

She not only fully mastered and greatly strengthened her beginner-level 【Summon Skeleton】, but also unlocked a series of more powerful and tactically valuable Necromancer summoning skills:

【Summon · Skeleton Wolf (Unlocked at level 20)】: Summon swift and fierce skeleton wolves. One extra can be summoned for every 20 points of Spirit attribute.

【Summon · Skeleton Wizard (Unlocked at level 40)】: Summon skeleton wizards that master basic death magic and can perform ranged spell attacks and cast simple curses. One extra can be summoned for every 40 points of Spirit attribute.

【Summon · Gargoyle (Unlocked at level 50)】: Summon gargoyles with flight capabilities, outstanding defense, and the ability to dive-bomb and fire dark energy blasts. One extra can be summoned for every 50 points of Spirit attribute.

【Summon · Death Knight (Unlocked at level 70)】: Summon elite undead units clad in heavy armor, riding skeleton warhorses, integrated with offense and defense, and possessing charge and Aura skills—Death Knights! One extra can be summoned for every 70 points of Spirit attribute.

The most critical point is that the summons of these different unit types share different "Summon Pools" and do not conflict with each other!

In other words, if Jialiya has 10,000 points of Spirit attribute, she can simultaneously maintain: one thousand ordinary skeletons, five hundred skeleton wolves, two hundred and fifty skeleton wizards, two hundred gargoyles, and nearly one hundred and fifty Death Knights!

This is not counting any extra quantity bonuses she might have for specific unit types from talents or skills.

Moreover, the level of all undead units summoned by her is equal to her current level!

Furthermore, they inherit a portion of Jialiya's corresponding attributes and are comprehensively strengthened by her talent 【Undead Command】!

What does this mean? It means that a level 77 Jialiya, once she goes all out, will instantly summon an undead army with a scale of over two thousand, complete with various unit types, all at level 77, and terrifyingly strengthened!

And this is just her current level.

As her level and Spirit attribute further increase, the quantity and quality of this army will grow geometrically!

Of course, in front of Lin Muyang and the the young ladies around him who often have attributes in the hundreds of thousands and master mythic grade skills, the paper data of this undead legion might not be enough to look at.

But its strategic value cannot be measured by simple individual combat power superposition.

This is a true undead scourge that can be sacrificed and consumed at will!

They have no fear, know no fatigue, and are absolutely obedient.

As long as Jialiya's mana is inexhaustible—which, under Lin Muyang's God-Tier Aura, is almost not an issue—they are the most perfect cannon fodder, meat shields, scouts, and sustained fire points.

In many non-top-tier battles, or when executing tasks such as exploring dangerous areas, clearing out mobs, building defensive lines, or pinning down enemies, the role such an army can play might even exceed that of one or two top-tier powerhouses.

Moreover, the core of this legion is Jialiya herself.

As long as she is safe, the legion can be endless.

Conversely, if one falls into an extreme situation requiring human-wave tactics, this legion might have unexpected miraculous effects.

[part:deepseek-chat]

Lin Muyang observed the blue-haired young lady before him, whose Aura had undergone a profound transformation, and glanced at the faintly swirling Aura of death around her that sent a slight chill to the soul. He had already made up his mind.

"Since you possess this ability, it works out perfectly. Although Eternal Garden has its own magical barrier, an extra layer of protection is always welcome," Lin Muyang said to Jialiya. "Summon a contingent of all the undead units you can summon. Have them disperse and take up positions for vigilance and guarding the perimeter of the garden. To avoid affecting the garden's aesthetics and to prevent scaring any guests who might occasionally visit, I will cloak them with the Divine Concealment Aura. This will allow our own people to see them, but outsiders or those unrelated will be unable to perceive their presence."

"Yes! I understand!" Upon hearing this, a gleam of light flashed in Jialiya's ice-blue eyes. This was the first official task her master had entrusted to her! She immediately nodded with utmost seriousness, her exquisitely beautiful face filled with resolve.

Thus, under the curious and expectant gazes of Lin Muyang and the other young ladies, this newly advanced level 77 Necromancer began to fully display her art of summoning before the group for the first time.

She walked to the center of the plaza, gently closed her eyes, grasped the pale bone-wood staff with both hands, and stood it upright before her. A strange, icy, silent, yet immensely vital magical power began to ripple outwards from her as the center. Unlike the blazing or nimble mana of ordinary mages, her power leaned more towards an "orderly silence," akin to the tranquility after all things have reached their end.

"Awaken, slumbering bones, answer the call of the deceased..."

Her ethereal voice chanted softly, not in incantation, but more like a rhythm communicating with the laws of death.

As she chanted, a faint, pale, and continuously rotating and expanding magic circle began to materialize on the ground beneath her feet. The patterns of the magic circle were complex and ancient, emanating a heart-palpitating wave of death.

Immediately after, a breathtaking scene unfolded.

*Clack... clack...*

A dense, grating cacophony of bone friction and assembly, like a tidal wave, rose from the magic circle!

Pale white skeletal frames, one after another, 'grew' from the pale light as if from nothing! They varied in form—some wielded broken bone blades and bone shields, some held ethereal bone bows, and others cradled skulls flickering with faint green soulfire. They lined up in silence, weak soulfire flickering within their hollow eye sockets, standing neatly before Jialiya. Soon, they reached the current limit her mental attributes could support for skeleton summons—over fifteen hundred! A vast expanse of stark white skeletons stood in the plaza. Though silent, they exuded a chilling, solemn, and murderous Aura, like a moving forest of bones.

"Next, the swift hunters, Skeleton Wolves," Jialiya murmured, giving her staff a light tap on the ground.

The light of the magic circle shifted subtly. In the next moment, a low, menacing growl, as if rasping from throat bones, sounded! One after another, wolves entirely composed of thick bones, their size comparable to calves, with crimson soulfire burning in their eye sockets, leaped forth from the light! Agile in movement, their bones clacking crisply, they quietly crouched on either flank of the skeleton soldier formation. Their numbers exceeded seven hundred! The crimson soulfire danced within their skulls, radiating ferocity and vigilance.

"The soaring guardians, Gargoyles," Jialiya continued her spellcasting.

Above the magic circle, the light distorted slightly. Accompanied by the sound of tearing leather-like wingbeats, Gargoyles—entities pieced together from gray-black stone and bone, with tattered bat-like wings, resembling giant bats, with sharp claws and fangs—materialized, circling as they emerged from the void! They beat their wings silently, hovering mid-air, casting large shadows. Their numbers exceeded six hundred! Their cold, stone-like eyes scanned below, emanating an icy Aura that warned the living to keep their distance.

"Finally, the undefeated knights, Scions of Death," Jialiya's voice carried a trace of gravity. These were the highest-tier units she could currently summon.

The pale light of the magic circle blazed brilliantly, and even a faint, illusory portal burning with azure flames appeared at its center. Accompanied by the heavy, rhythmic sound of hoofbeats and the clanging of metal armor, squad after squad of awe-inspiring figures slowly marched forth from the portal.

They were Death Knights!

Clad in full-body, pitch-black heavy armor covered in rust stains and ancient bloodstains, their faces hidden behind ferocious skull-like visors, revealing only two points of azure soulfire. They gripped greatswords burning with pale flames or lances wreathed in chilling cold and death energy. Their mounts were equally imposing skeletal warhorses draped in tattered barding, their hooves burning with azure flames. Each Death Knight exuded a chilling, murderous pressure far surpassing the other undead units; they were true elites risen from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Their numbers exceeded two hundred! They silently formed into charging formations, their intangible deathly Aura seeming to solidify the surrounding air.

In just five or six minutes, the once-empty secret realm plaza had transformed into an ocean of undead! The stark white of skeletons, the crimson eyes of Skeleton Wolves, the gray-black shadows of Gargoyles, the pitch-black heavy armor and azure flames of the Death Knights... Undead units of various forms stood arranged in clear, orderly ranks, their total exceeding three thousand! A dense Aura of death permeated the area, seeming to lower the surrounding temperature. Had it not been known that these were allied units, this scene would have been enough to shatter the sanity of anyone lacking mental fortitude.

Lilia, as if feeling a chill, rubbed her arms and edged closer to Lin Muyang, whispering, "Sister Jialiya... is really impressive. It's just a bit... chilly." Su Daji also watched with wide-eyed curiosity, her fox ears twitching slightly. It was her first time witnessing such a large-scale scene of an undead scourge.

Jialiya took a slight, panting breath. Continuously summoning an undead legion of this scale was a considerable burden on her current mana, but more so on her mental control. Her ice-blue eyes swept over the army she had summoned, a complex, indescribable emotion flashing within—a hint of pride, a trace of pleasure in wielding such power, and also a Necromancer's scrutinizing gaze towards her 'creations.'

"Master, the summoning is complete," she turned to Lin Muyang and reported respectfully.

Lin Muyang nodded in satisfaction. The imposing presence of this undead legion was indeed commendable. "Excellent. Now, have them disperse. Deploy them evenly within a one-kilometer perimeter around Eternal Garden, covering the four cardinal directions. Remember, it's the outer perimeter. They are not to enter the interior areas of the garden to avoid disrupting life inside. The Gargoyles are responsible for aerial vigilance and rapid response. The Skeleton Wolves and some of the skeleton soldiers will handle ground patrols and hidden sentry duty. The Death Knights will serve as the mobile reserve force and guard key strategic areas. Arrange the specific deployment yourself based on their characteristics."

"Yes!" Jialiya accepted the command and immediately issued clear, detailed orders to all undead units through the soul link.

In an instant, the silent undead legion moved. The skeleton soldiers marched in orderly, slightly stiff steps, dividing into several streams flowing towards the garden's outer perimeter. The Skeleton Wolves transformed into streaks of white lightning, silently darting into the woods and shadows surrounding the garden. The Gargoyles beat their wings, ascending into the high sky like gray phantoms, blending into the clouds and night. The Death Knights urged their skeletal steeds, splitting into several small squads, galloping towards important access points and strategic locations. The entire process was orderly, silent, and astonishingly efficient.

Simultaneously, with a thought from Lin Muyang, the Divine Concealment Aura quietly unfolded, enveloping all the summoned undead units. Under the Aura's effect, the figures, Auras, and even the faint sounds of movement of these undead beings were completely erased and hidden from ordinary sight, hearing, and energy perception. Only Lin Muyang, Jialiya, and those specifically permitted by Lin Muyang could clearly see and sense their presence. To the outside world, the perimeter of Eternal Garden remained that same scenic, tranquil, and peaceful garden landscape, as if nothing had changed at all.